London: If Ukraine is included in the US-led NATO military alliance, the conflict in Ukraine would be guaranteed to escalate into World War III, a Russian Security Council official said on Thursday. Just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin formally announced annexation of up to 18% of Ukraine on 30 September, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a surprise bid for fast-track membership of NATO. Full NATO membership for Ukraine is far from over as all 30 members of the coalition must give their consent.
“Kyiv is well aware that such a move would mean a guaranteed third world war,” TASS quoted Russia’s Deputy Secretary of the Security Council Alexander Venediktov as saying.
Venediktov, who is Security Council secretary and deputy to Nikolai Petrushev, a powerful ally of Putin, said he thought Ukraine’s application was propaganda because the West understood the consequences of Ukrainian membership of NATO.
“The suicidal nature of such a move is understood by NATO members themselves,” he said.
President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly raided the United States for promoting NATO’s eastward expansion, particularly to former Soviet republics such as Ukraine and Georgia, which Russia regards as part of its sphere of influence. Is.
Putin warned the West last month that he was not bluffing when he said he would be ready to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia, which he said was “nuclear blackmail” from major Western powers. was.
US President Joe Biden has said the world faces the greatest risk of nuclear Armageddon since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. NATO is scheduled to hold an annual nuclear readiness exercise called “Steadfast Noon” next week.
Russia and the United States are by far the largest nuclear powers: they control about 90% of the world’s nuclear weapons.
Venediktov said Zelensky’s call for deterrent strikes against Russia was dangerous, warning that nuclear war would have disastrous consequences for the world.
“We must remember: nuclear conflict will affect the whole world – not only Russia and the collective West, but every country on this planet,” Venediktov said. “The consequences will be disastrous for all mankind.”